Device for visual examination of the mouth



Aug. 5, 1969 J. s. FLEMING DEVICE FOR VISUAL EXAMINATION OF THE MOUTH Filed July 26, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 o 0 0 o o 0 TRANSFORMER TRANSFORMER m mvgmon John stufo t Flemin 9 93201? l7}, Ahfiuuan ATTORNEY Aug. 5, 1969 J. 5. FLEMING DEVICE FOR VISUAL EXAMINATION OF THE MOUTH Filed July 26, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m m a m MOUTH FIG.7

mvmon JOHN STUART FLEMING ATTORNEYS United States Patent fice,

3,459,178 DEVICE FOR VISUAL EXAMINATION OF THE MOUTH John Stuart Fleming, Niagara Falls, N.Y., assignor to Floxite Company, Inc., Niagara Falls, N.Y., a corporation of New York Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 559,806,

June 23, 1966. This application July 26, 1968, Ser. No. 756,702

Int. Cl. A61b 1/06, 1/24; A47f 11/10 US. Cl. 128-22 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for the self-examination of the mouth comprises a spherically concave mirror having a generally circular perimeter except for one side of which is cut by a transverse chord leaving a straight edge, and a light source which projects a light beam adjacent the straight edge of the mirror and through its focal point. With proper location of the mirror relative to the light source the interior of the mouth is illuminated and the user is able to observe a magnified image of his own mouth.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 559,806 filed June 23, 1966, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a device for the visual examination of the mouth.

Good dental hygiene which is self-administered is difficult, primarily because the individual has had to rely on his sense of feel to determine whether he has satisfactorily performed such operations as scrubbing his teeth, cleaning between his teeth with dental floss, etc. Though frequently he may have available either a wall or hand mirror for viewing the interior of his mouth, this has proved less than satisfactory because either there is insuificient illumination to light the interior of the mouth or the individual is unable to see the interior of the mouth in sufficient detail even where the illumination is adequate.

Devices have been devised for the purpose of enabling an individual to examine the interior of his own mouth. However, these devices have proven less than satisfactory. These devices usually consist of'a flat mirror with a light source, usually a battery-operated light bulb located adjacent to the edge of the mirror or immediately behind a portion of the mirror from which the silver reflecting surfaces has been removed. Regardless of the location of the light bulb in these prior devices, the user is subjected to the glare of the direct light rays from the light bulb into his eyes. Thus, though the light source may serve to illuminate the interior of the open mouth, the users ability to observe the reflected image in the mirror is materially reduced by the glare from the light source. Furthermore, the mirror being flat gives the user a relatively small image of the interior of his mouth making it difficult to observe the interior of the mouth in sufficient detail.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device capable of illuminating the interior of the mouth while at the same time giving the observes a clear and magnified image of the interior of the mouth.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for self-examination of the month by both illuminating the interior of the mouth and magnifying the reflected image thereof for the user.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device for self-examination of the mouth which will illuminate the interior of the mouth without projecting light 3,459,178 Patented Aug. 5, 1969 rays directly from the source of the light into the users eyes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for self-examination of the month which may conveniently be secured to conventional sources of light.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a device for self-examination of the mouth which is conveniently portable and thus may be used even under the most inconvenient conditions.

In brief, the present invention designed for examination of the mouth and particularly self-examination of the mouth comprises a concave mirror having a spherical radius within a certain range and a light source capable of projecting a light beam located adjacent to and behind the mirror such that it will project a beam into the mouth while the edge of the mirror shields the eyes of the user from the direct rays of the light source.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view partially in section of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the device shown in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front view of a modification of the mirror of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a side view partially in section of a conventional flashlight with the mirror of FIGURE 3 attached thereto;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic side view of the invention in use; and

FIGURES 6 and 7 are side views showing modifications of the means for mounting the mirror on a flashlight.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGURES 1 to 4 a mirror 1 and an electrical socket 6 are mounted for support in a housing 3. Contained in the interior of the housing 3 adjacent the light bulb 2 mounted in the electrical socket 6 is a reflector 4 (FIGURE 4) for projecting the maximum possible light which is diffused during reflection through the opening in the housing below the mirror 1. The light source in FIGURES 1 and 2 is of the high intensity type requiring a trans-former upon which the device is mounted for the purpose of obtaining the stepped-up voltage required.

The mirror 1 is concave primarily for the purpose of magnification. Eifective magnification by the mirrorgis obtained when the distance between the rear portion of the mouth and the mirror as well as the distance between the eye and the mirror are both within half the spherical radius of the mirror. Since the inside of the mouth is approximately two and one-half inches deep, a concave mirror with a spherical radius of about fourteen inches is the most effective for self-examination. The focal point of a mirror with a fourteen inch spherical radius is seven inches from the surface of the mirror. Such a mirror can conveniently be held in front of the user seven inches from the mirror to the interior of the mouth and four to five inches from the eye. A mirror with too short a focal point is not practical since objects located beyond the focal point of the mirror appear distorted and out of focus. On the other hand, a mirror with too great a spherical radius oifers little magnification of the interior of the mouth for the user.

A mirror designed for use by a second person observing the interior of the mouth of another should conveniently have a spherical radius of eighteen inches in order that the eyes of the second person can be within nine inches of the mirror.

The major portion of the perimeter of the mirror is conveniently circular, though, of course, this is not absolutely necessary. A portion of the lower edge of the mirror is removed in order to obtain proper location of the light source relative to the mirror. The straight edge of the mirror is represented by a chord passing transversely through the circle. The center of this chord edge of the mirror is spaced from the opposite circular edge of the mirror by a distance amounting to 65 to 85 percent of the diameter of the circle. Preferably, the chord is spaced from the opposite circular edge by a distance amounting to about 75 percent of the diameter of the circle. This permits the image of the mouth to be reflected into the widest part of the mirror, and at the same time the light projected from the source is admitted into the mouth and reflected back into the mirror at a relatively small angle. This reflected angle is preferably maintained as small as possible.

As shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 5, the light source generates a beam of light capable of producing an illuminated area about two to three inches in diameter at four to seven inches from the face. The lower portion of the mirror extends downwardly in a plane forward of the light source 2, the bottom edge of the mirror terminating just about the center of the projected light beam. Conveniently, the mirror is located on a plane about one inch in front of the light source, the bottom edge of the mirror being about one-quarter inch above the center of the projected beam. With this arrangement the direct rays of the light beam will not be projected into the users eyes, and at the same time the beam is sufficiently close to the center portion of the mirror to maintain the reflected angle of light relatively small. Though the direct rays of the light beam may project upwardly at any angle short of the users eyes which are generally regarded as about two and one-half inches above the mouth, it is preferred that the beam extend upwardly no more than about 20 with respect to a straight line drawn from the chord or bottom edge of the mirror to its focal point.

In FIGURES 3 and 4, a frame for the mirror of the present invention is shown which may be conveniently secured to a conventional flashlight. The mirror 1 is mounted in a frame 7 which includes a circular collar which may be slipped on the forward end of the flashlight. The circular collar is located relative to the mirror such that the center of the circle just clears the lower edge of the mirror, this center point corresponding to the center of the projected light beam from the flashlight.

The modification shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 is particularly convenient for use where a normal source of electrical power is not available. For example, service troops when stationed on the field have as part of their equipment usually a flashlight. A device such as that shown in FIGURE 3 may conveniently be included with the equipment without adding substantially in weight or bulk.

Modifications of the means for releasably mounting the mirror on a flashlight are shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. In FIGURE 6 the mirror frame 7 includes a magnetized metal member 8 mounted on the rear thereof which is attracted to a flat metal member 9 secured to the head of the flashlight. Alternatively, the member 9 secured to the flashlight may be the magnetized member or both members may be magnetized.

In FIGURE 7 a slot 10 is provided in the head of the flashlight which will receive the extension 11 on the .4 mirror frame 7 to locate the mirror relative to the light source.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for attachment to means for projecting a beam of light for use in the self-examination of the mouth comprising a spherically concave mirror, a major portion of the perimter of said mirror being generally circular and including a chord passing transversely through said circle, the center of the chord edge of said mirror being spaced from the opposite circular edge by a distance amounting to between and percent of the diameter of said circle and means for rigidly mounting said mirror on said light projecting means in a position such that the chord edge of said mirror is positioned adjacent the center of the light beam emanating from said light projecting means such that the chord edge prevents the light beam projecting more than 20 above a straight line drawn between said chord edge and the focal point of said mirror whereby said light beam is not projected into the users eyes.

2. A device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the spherical radius of said concave mirror is between fourteen and eighteen inches.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein light projecting means is a flashlight.

4. A device for attachment to said light projecting means as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises a collar secured to said mirror and extending beyond the chord edge of said mirror for encircling and securing said device to said light projecting means.

5. A device for attachment to said light projecting means as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises a magnetized member secured to said mirror for securing said device to a part of said light projecting means to which said member is magnetically attracted.

6. A device for attachment to said light projecting means as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises an extension secured to said mirror capable of being received in a receptacle on said light projecting means for securing said mirror to said light projecting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 313,782 3/1885 Starr. 1,181,348 5/1916 Schwartz. 1,667,545 4/ 1928 Goddard. 1,850,219 3/1932 Walthers. 1,898,791 2/ 1933 Schlumbohm. 2,092,672 9/ 1937 Hyatt. 2,137,881 11/1938 Margulies. 2,452,450 10/ 1948 Fredenburg. 2,652,480 9/ 1953 Duval.

FOREIGN PATENTS 467,198 6/1937 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner KYLE L. HOWELL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 240-4, 6 

